The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) has released policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the 5.2 million Americans whose jobs are powered by outdoor recreation, outlining priorities for state and federal policymakers in a new report titled “Building a Thriving Workforce for America.”
The recommendations were developed by members of ORR’s Outdoor Recreation Workforce Consortium, a coalition of more than 30 colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide, with input from outdoor recreation industry leaders.
The resource was released Sept. 16 during an ORR-hosted webinar featuring industry and education leaders discussing the future of the outdoor recreation workforce.
The report is intended to provide policymakers with a framework for supporting career pathways and workforce development across the outdoor recreation economy. The research and Consortium facilitation are supported by The VF Foundation.
“The outdoor recreation economy grows when we invest in the strength of the outdoor recreation workforce,” Chris Perkins, vice president of programs at Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, said in a press release.
“That means working with the colleges, universities, and trade schools already training the next generation of guides, land managers, and gear makers, and giving policymakers a clear, practical roadmap for backing that work,” Perkins added.
The recommendations include formally recognizing outdoor recreation as its own workforce sector, increasing research into wages, seasonality and skill gaps, and supporting career pathways, experiential learning and partnerships among education, industry, nonprofits and government.
“The outdoor recreation workforce is the foundation everything else is built on, from labor market data to federal training dollars to product development and delivery,” said Danny Twilley, assistant vice president of economic and community development at West Virginia University’s Brad & Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative.
“So formally recognizing it as its own workforce sector is paramount for the future of the industry,” Twilley added.
Research funding is also identified as a priority in the recommendations.
“We can’t manage what we don’t measure,” said Dan McCoy, director of the Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute at the University of Wyoming.
“By calling for dedicated research funding on wages, seasonality, and skill gaps, these priorities give policymakers and employers the data they need to make good decisions—and to build a durable outdoor recreation workforce,” McCoy added.
Other recommendations address regional workforce development, including partnerships and incentives such as Outdoor Workforce Zones. Contributors said regional approaches could help support rural communities and destination areas.
The report also calls for investments that can improve access to outdoor recreation careers and strengthen workforce development efforts.
